The technology of caring for winter crops must take plant needs in the course of ontogeny into account as fully as possible. A particularly important period is from the resumption of vegetation to the start of stem elongation. The conditions that preceded this period were extremely atypical for Ukraine. The anomalously warm winter, and in most regions practically its absence, created favorable conditions for vegetation, thanks to which late-sown plants were able to reach optimal parameters (except in regions with low soil moisture reserves). In most cases the development of plants as a whole and of the secondary root system in particular is satisfactory. At the same time, according to plant pathologists' observations, the situation with the spread and development of diseases is close to critical. In the unstable weather seen in March, plants may be under stress because they cannot absorb enough phosphorus from cold soil. At this time cereals form important yield components, so the yield level depends on the conditions in which these processes take place.

In such a situation, feeding winter cereals with fertilizers containing phosphorus in the form of phosphite is the best solution. Their main advantages are:

  • activation of metabolic processes in the plant and help in taking up phosphates;
  • restraint of plant disease development;
  • stronger growth of the secondary root system;
  • activation of the plants' photosynthetic apparatus;
  • greater carbon assimilation in photosynthesis, which ensures both growth of vegetative mass and better harvest quality.

So foliar application of phosphorus in the form of phosphite, which plants take up quickly even at relatively low temperatures (when the phosphate form is unavailable), promotes intensive growth of the root system, restrains disease development and enhances the efficiency of photosynthesis, ultimately raising yield.

For spring 2020, considering weather conditions and the state of plant development, and taking into account the results of practical use in past years, we recommend:

  1. On crops where plant condition is generally satisfactory and there are no signs of stress, carry out the first foliar feeding with ECOLINE Phosphite (K) at 1.0–1.5 l/ha.
  2. On areas where a deficiency of individual nutrients is established, feed with the tank mix ECOLINE Phosphite (K) 1.0–1.5 l/ha + ECOLINE Cereal (Chelates) or ECOLINE Magnesium (Chelates) – 1.0–1.5 l/ha. In case of copper, manganese, zinc or iron deficiency, use chelate fertilizers with the maximum content of the needed element at doses from 0.5 to 1.5 l/ha.
  3. On areas with poorly developed plants and those in a state of stress, it is better to use ECOLINE Phosphite (K-Amino) at 1.0–1.5 l/ha for the first feeding.